Yay, a writing exercise! My creative writing teacher provided phrases ending with “is/are like…” or “as if…” and we had to finish the sentence, thus forming a simile (although it looks like some of these are just sentences needing completion, but close enough). We were giving this exercise on February 4, but I’m posting it on February 2 because we then used these similes as inspiration to write a poem, and I plan to post the poem on February 4.

I’m going to actually do this exercise, meaning that I will type all of her “set-up” phrases and complete them on my own. Then, I will supply my original 2003 answer, and then we can all compare. And please note that no, not all of these will end up being “similes” strictly by definition. Let’s do it:

A writing exercise for writing similes. Try it out!

Similes:

A spider on an old man’s beard is like…2013: a scorpion in a tumbleweed.2003: a woman in an older man’s bed.

The oars on a boat rowed as if…2013: they had no other purpose.2003: pushing away an annoying little brat.

Nothing was the same now that it was…2013: Friday.2003: Halloween.

The Wino took to coma like…2013: a Russian going to bed.2003: a student after school.

The dice rolled out of the cup toward Len like…2013: an avalanche of rocks spewing from the peak of a mountain.2003: his mother’s fist did last night.

A child in _____ is like a _____ in _____2013: A child in peril is like a princess in the dungeon.2003: A child in need is like a stripper in jail.

Puffy clouds in your glass of wine are like…2013: balls of lava in a lava lamp.2003: jagged clouds in your bag of cocaine.

A _____ is like muscles stretched taut over bone2013: canvas2003: hug

The fog plumed through the gunshot holes in the train windows like…2013: a creepy pedophile sneaking into an elementary school.2003: water pours out of Daffy Duck after Elmer Fudd shoots him.

The grey honor (honor?) walked up the satin plank as if…2013: he were going to receive a medal for exceptional swordsmanship.2003: on his way to the ring for a shot at the WWE Undisputed Championship.

Cancelled checks in the abandoned boat seemed…2013: like an impractical waste of space.2003: almost as confusing as this awful analogy.

If I should wake before I die…2013: then I should celebrate life.2003: put me back to sleep with your warmth.

Illanah poured coffee down her throat as if…2013: she were a robot that needed oil to continue to function.2003: she hadn’t had a drink since last night.

Up is like down when…2013: you’re in Dante’s Inferno.2003: you’re completely insane.

You mine rocks from a quarry. What you get from a quandary is…2013: a lot more difficult to understand.2003: able to rock your mineshaft. (lol)

Marlene dangled the Parson from the question as if…2013: I have any idea what a Parson is. (and yes, I know I ended that with a preposition)2003: she actually made sense.

She held her life in her own hands as if it were…2013: a chip on a roulette table, optimistically willing to let its value be determined by the arbitrary spin of a wheel.2003: a feather on a windy day.

“No, no, a thousand times no!” he said, his hand…2013: balling into a fist and preparing to strike.2003: wrapping more tightly around her waist to keep her close.

The solution was hydrochloric acid; the problem was, therefore…2013: finding a plastic container that could contain it without dissolving. (Thanks, Breaking Bad)2003: zombies.

Love is to open sky as loathing is to…2013: being tightly bound and unable to move, barely able to breathe.2003: cuddly rabbits and teddy bears.

A few things:

Why so many drug and alcohol references? I was in high school!

Here’s your homework: please explain to me how a child in need is like a stripper in jail.

I was struck by the similarity in my responses for She held her life in her own hands as if it were…; in both of my responses, “she” left her life completely open to chance, leaving fate to decide its outcome. Conversely, my responses to the very next entry, “No, no, a thousand times no!” he said, his hand…, were polar opposites, one ending in a fist and the other ending in an embrace.

It appears that over time, people are capable of changing in some ways, but not others. Or perhaps as a writer, inspiration strikes differently at different times? Perhaps some writers have killed off characters in some drafts, but saved them in others. I guess there’s only one way for me to further explore this theory: write more!

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This post is part of Cody’s “10-Year Idea Reunion” project, in which Cody revisits his creative writing class assignments exactly 10 years after writing them. Learn more about Cody’s Idea Reunion and follow him on WordPress to follow along!

About Cody Gough

Cody Gough hosts and produces the award-winning Curiosity Daily, named Best Science Podcast at the 13th Annual Podcast Awards, for Curiosity.com. He also works as fill-in host and producer at WGN Radio in Chicago. As an established radio veteran, Cody has been with WGN Radio since 2008, and have worked on the WGN Plus podcast network as host and producer of the Game/Life Balance U.S. podcast (formerly Unqualified Gamers). In addition to his broadcast experience, Cody has written for Curiosity.com, the GonnaGeek Network, and HuffPost.